The employment of the new C-130J model Hercules in Southwest Asia is not new—the Air National Guard first flew the J there in fall 2004, beginning a 20-month field test—but the 41st Airlift Squadron has become the first active duty J model unit to deploy. And, the Little Rock AFB, Ark. unit has been operating J models for less than a year. “We stood up two squadrons, people, and airplanes, and deployed in 10 months,” said Lt. Col. Dan Tulley, 41st AS commander. The 41st moved to Little Rock from Pope AFB, N.C., where it flew older model Hercules.
Advancements in commercial space technology could make President Donald Trump’s proposed “Golden Dome” missile defense network far more likely to succeed than the failed “Star Wars” strategic umbrella initiative of the 1980s, U.S. Space Command’s top general said May 22....